— There has been talk of Rey Mysterio appearing on tonight’s Raw SuperShow emanating from the injured wrestler’s hometown of San Diego, California.
The masked star has been sidelined since August due to knee surgery. He posted a video last month saying he plans to return to action in time for WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, 2012.
— Rebecca Reyes (a/k/a Reby Sky), who was charged with reckless driving to endanger and speeding in North Carolina in September, has had her case continued until March 31, 2012.
— Former WWE star Zach Gowen is working on an autobiography with Evan Ginzberg. It will be titled Wrestling Then & Now.
— Chris Jericho’s radio show The Rock of Jericho on XM 164 is now being replayed at Sunday at noon and Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. The show airs weekly at 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
sources: PWInsider.com, Wrestling Globe Newsletter
Tonight’s WWE RAW Supershow will take place from the Valley View Casino in San Diego, California.
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels will make his WWE return tonight. Michaels is rumored to be the guest referee of the Triple H vs. Undertaker match at WrestleMania.
Also returning to television tonight is Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio appeared at this weekend’s SmackDown live events, but is not medically cleared to wrestle yet.
Advertised locally are John Cena vs. Kane and WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler.
– Alberto Del Rio appeared at this weekend’s SmackDown live events – but did not wrestle either night. Del Rio called out Sheamus and told the live crowds that he’s not ready to wrestle yet, but challenged the 2012 Royal Rumble winner to an arm wrestling contest – which Sheamus won. This led to a brawl between the two before Del Rio ran off, leaving Ricardo Rodriguez to take a Brogue Kick from Sheamus.
Del Rio is scheduled to return to WWE television tonight on RAW.
– WWE Superstar David Otunga was backstage at the Grammys last night with his fiancee Jennifer Hudson, who sang a moving tribute to Whitney Houston.
– An announcement on the WrestleMania 29 location is expected this week. New York Giants player Jake Ballard was asked on Twitter if he’s excited about WrestleMania coming to the MetLife Stadium next year. He replied, ” yes it’s going to be awesome!”
If these reports turn out to be true, Axxess and other WrestleMania-week events would be held in the New York City area.
It would also be a sign that WWE is breaking with the tradition of holding WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden every 10 years, as it’s unlikely New York City would get the event two years in a row.
— The official website of the BMO Harris Bank Center is advertising CM Punk as a special guest for the WWE SuperSmackDown Live special that will air on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 on Syfy.
Two bouts are advertised for the event as Daniel Bryan will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Big Show and Randy Orton will face Wade Barrett in a Street Fight Match.
— Metro Calgary has published an article on researchers with National Geographic’s Genographic Project approaching Bret Hart for a DNA sample. Links were found from as long ago as 60,000 years and in places such as India, Iran and several European countries.
“It pretty much goes back to the beginning of time,” Hart said. “It’s not something you can easily wrap your head around. It’s pretty fascinating stuff.”
— Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine have been announced for Legends of the Ring 14, which takes place Saturday, June 2, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Monroe, New Jersey.
Jim Ross has published a new blog entry on his official website. Highlights are as follows:
Thoughts on Curt Hennig nine years after his passing: “Thoughts on the late, Curt Hennig?” Obviously, he died too soon. I loved being around him. He was the life of the party and made everyone laugh. Loved his approach to life as in making every day fun and, granted, some days he had too much fun. I’ve never worked with anyone more ‘natural’ than Curt Hennig as he had ‘it’ early on and just got better until a bad back curtailed his magnificent career. I’ve been around very few, as in one hand, that could wrestle as well as Curt, hero or villain, talk/promo as well as he could, manage, AND broadcast at the level he did without little training or preparation. Only Bobby Heenan comes to mind. Taking Mr. Perfect’s total skill set into consideration, I’d confidently say that Curt Hennig was one of the top 5 all around talents ever in the business taking into consideration the aforementioned areas of expertise.
The chances of Kurt Angle or Sting appearing for WWE: ”Do I think that we will ever see Kurt Angle or Sting in a WWE ring?” Interesting question that only the talents themselves and WWE management can answer. Just a guess but I’d say not likely. Could I see both going into the WWE HOF? Without question. Could I see WWE doing a comprehensive DVD on both? Seems like a layup. Is it impossible that they ‘could’ have a final bout in WWE at a future Wrestlemania? Any thing is possible and WrestleMania is the only place to stage such an attraction in my view but that seems like a long shot.”
Shawn Michaels returning to television: “Why does it seem that HBK is coming back to WWE just in time for WrestleMania?” Easy…to sell PPVs. @ShawnMichaels is Mr Wrestlemania so why wouldn’t one have the WWE HOF’er involved at this time of the year? HBK has more than a vested interest in the seemingly pending HHH vs. Undertaker issue. Who better to address both men than Shawn Michaels? Plus, he adds star power to Raw and he’s still one of the biggest stars WWE to which has access. HBK is a natural born Show Stealer….remember that as time goes on. That’s all I’m gonna say on that topic for now but ‘stay tuned’ to Monday Night Raw.”
Ross also weighs in on the toughest wrestler ever, the best match ever, who’s ready to be promoted from Florida Championship Wrestling and more. His post is available here.
WWE’s Executive Vice President of Creative Stephanie McMahon recently appeared on the “Heavy Muscle Radio” at RXMuscle.com. Stephanie spoke to Dave Palumbo about her marriage to WWE superstar Triple H.
— An official announcement concerning the venue for next year’s WrestleMania is expected to be made next Wednesday.
— In the second episode of Foreign Exchange with Santino Marella, the WWE Superstar goes in search for a Valentine’s Day date. See what lucky Diva will be chosen by the Milan Miracle. Justin Gabriel, Kaitlyn, Maxine, Natalya and Rosa Mendes appear.
– Episode 52 of Zack Ryder’s Z! True Long Island Story is now online. This week, Ryder (who is still selling Kane’s attack from RAW) defends himself and explains why he’s not a sellout. Plus, Ryder reveals why he was at Lucas Films studios a few weeks ago:
– The WWE YouTube channel’s latest “Backstage Fallout” video is also online, featuring post-SmackDown interviews with WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix, Ted DiBiase and Hunico:
– TheDailyBeast.com has published an article on Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s strong connection to WWE. The article, titled “Rick Santorum, Family Values Candidate and Pro Wrestling Advocate?” examines Santorum’s role as a WWE lawyer back in the late 1980’s and his role helping WWE transition from “maybe it’s a sport?” to “sports entertainment.”
WWE’s formal acknowledgement that their product is “sports entertainment” has saved the company millions of dollars in taxes and state athletic commission fees. It also deregulated the pro wrestling industry and eliminated government oversight – which many have argued led to the proliferation of drug abuse among performers and premature deaths.
– The Rock was at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday night for the Knicks vs. Lakers NBA basketball game. On the opening day of his new movie Journey 2, The Rock was shown on television sitting courtside with his girlfriend. You can see a picture of The Rock and his girlfriend at Friday night’s Knicks-Lakers game here.
– Here’s a first look at Mattel’s new “Apptivity” gaming technology, which allows for gamers to use Mattel toys to interact with Apple’s iPad in a whole new way. The WWE iPad game will be released in July:
– Monday’s RAW will feature a rare appearance from WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. In a sign that WWE really is going all-out to jumpstart the road to WrestleMania, HBK is now being advertised for the already-loaded March 12th RAW from Cleveland, Ohio.
The official website of Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena is advertising John Cena, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and Triple H for 3/12.
– WWE has released an updated schedule for the relaunched YouTube channel:
Tuesdays – RAW “Backstage Fallout” & Dolph Ziggler’s “WWE Download”
Wednesdays – “WWE Inbox”
Thursdays – “Outside the Ring”
Fridays – Zack Ryder’s YouTube show & Smackdown “Backstage Fallout”
Saturdays – “Santino’s Foreign Exchange”
Sundays – “Are You Serious?” with Josh Mathews & Road Dogg
The “Superstar Toyz” show does not yet have a regular air date.
WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio appeared on San Francisco’s 95.7 radio station to promote his return to the ring this weekend against Sheamus. Here are some highlights of what Del Rio said about:
His Groin Injury: Del Rio said he “completely tore” his groin. He called it the worst injury a man can suffer and said they had to reattach a muscle from his leg to his hip. “Now I’m running, jumping, and ready to roll into the ring.”
Not Liking Other WWE Wrestlers: Del Rio said he doesn’t hang out with many wrestlers outside of the ring. “To be honest, I don’t like most of the guys,” Del Rio said with a laugh.
Legitimately Not Liking The Miz In Particular: Del Rio was asked which wrestlers don’t get along or that he doesn’t like. “The Miz,” Del Rio said. “I hate The Miz. This is not part of the show. I really dislike like that guy. I’ve tried to punch him in the face several times, not in the ring, I mean outside the ring. He’s like a little girl. He’s always running away from me … There’s a big difference between The Miz and I,” Del Rio said. “I’m a real athlete. He’s just a loud, stupid little kid. He’s one of those guys who was probably bullied when he was in school and that’s the reason now that he’s so loud and he wants to get attention from everybody.”
Del Rio also had some interesting comments about wrestling groupies. “They’re interesting,” he said. “That’s all I’m going to say .. There are some ladies who really enjoy wrestling and they enjoy wrestlers.”
— Following strong sales for the The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro DVD last year, WWE has plans to release another video set highlighting the best of World Championship Wrestling later this year.
Amazon.com is currently taking pre-orders for a WCW Clash of the Champions DVD from WWE on May 22, 2012. Run time is listed at 540 minutes.
Clash of the Champions were a series of professional wrestling television specials aired by WCW from 1988 to 1997. The specials were supercards intended to feature pay-per-view caliber matches, similar to the World Wrestling Federation’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.
— Friday marks the nine year anniversary of the passing of WWE Hall of Famer “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig. Shawn Michaels went on Twitter to remember the legendary wrestler he worked at length with.
“I’d like to honor the memory of Curt Hennig, unbelievably gifted, great teacher and one of the funniest, most joyful guys to be around. Mr.P!!” Michaels wrote.
At the suggestion of Hennig, Michaels adopted “The Heartbreak Kid” nickname upon turning heel in 1992.
Jeremiah Riggs, who appeared as a contestant on Tough Enough last year, believes he’s been blackballed from the professional wrestling industry after receiving no interest from WWE nor TNA Wrestling last year.
“I’ve been approached by a few wrestling promoters about coming in and doing some stuff. My manager even met with TNA several times but in the end politics won out. Am I blackballed in wrestling because of FCW? Probably, but it’s all good. I enjoyed wrestling but I’m not a wrestler. I’m a professional athlete,” he told www.hereisyourwinner.com in an interview.
In regards to FCW, a “notorious incident” with Dusty Rhodes and training staff led to WWE rejecting the Mississippi native.
“There were a lot of guys with the same look doing the same stuff trying to kiss ass and get ahead. That’s not me,” he says. “Some of the guys told me they thought it was great because I was myself and I didn’t sell out or kiss ass. I have nothing but respect for Dusty or Bill (DeMott), but I’m not a yes man. I will do whatever is asked of me and give it one hundred percent but I don’t do politics. What you see is what you get.”
Riggs now has his sights set on mixed martial arts. He will make his return to the cage on March 16, 2012 at Bellator 61 against the undefeated Trey Houston. To read his comments on the fight, click here.
— Syfy issued a press release Friday announcing that a WWE SuperSmackDown Live special will air on Tuesday, February 21 at 8:00 p.m.
“SuperSmackDown Live will feature WWE’s biggest Superstars and Divas, including World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Big Show, Sheamus, Mark Henry, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes and Alicia Fox,” the press release reads. “The special will encore in SmackDown’s regular time slot on Friday, February 24 at 8PM (ET/PT).”
— Natalya has posted her first blog on her newly launched website, NattieNeidhart.com. She recalls the Kids Wrestling Association, the first wrestling promotion she ever worked for.
“What kids grow up with a wresting ring their yard? Harts! Whenever there wasn’t snow, my grandfather Stu had a ring set up outside, facing his kitchen. It was the perfect place for the Hart grandkids to…wrestle!”
— NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood owner David Marquez announced Friday on Twitter that Shelly Martinez will act as the promotion’s event hostess.
He wrote, “Happy day! @NWAHollywood has come to terms with @funtimeshelly to act as Official Hostess of our events. Join us 2/12 & see what FUN is!”
Sunday’s show in Glendale, California will feature a “Come-As-You-Are No DQ Street Fight” pitting “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce and Colt Cabana against Tough Enough contestant “Big Nasty” Eric Watts and Cedric the Hitman. Event details are available at www.nwahollywood.com.
Hulk Hogan made headlines last month when he told TMZ that he was getting ready to shave his mustache and his head prior to auditioning for some movie roles.
The Hulkster’s announcement sent shockwaves throughout the galaxy and prompted Dr. Aaron Perlut (Chairman of the American Mustache Institute — seriously) to plead with Hogan to keep his “lower nose foliage.”
Hogan complied – but now says he’d shave off the ‘stache, for a price. During an interview with BANG Showbiz: ”
“When I talked about it (shaving off the mustache) everyone went crazy. Loads of people began jumping on it and the next thing I knew people were like, ‘Oh my god he’s shaving his mustache off!’
“The next thing I know is I had one of my sports agents calling me saying, ‘Don’t shave it off!’ I’ve heard from Gillette, Right Guard. They said we may have a deal, so I said I’d wait for a while.”
When asked if he really would lose the mustache – which Hulk has rarely been seen without over the last 40 years – he added:
“If you pay me a couple million bucks, hell yeah I’d shave it off! It grows back.”
— Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, which has already aired overseas, premieres a tweaked intro. The Undertaker is noticeably absent from the intro, which closes with Randy Orton performing the RKO as opposed to a shot of the iconic wrestler. His profile remains on the SmackDown Superstars page on WWE.com.
— WWE will hold a Raw SuperShow at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 14, 2012.
— While promoting last night’s airing of The Marine 2 on Spike TV, WWE star Ted DiBiase alluded to rival company TNA’s Impact Wrestling show. He tweeted, “Marine 2″ will be on Spike TV tonight!! Check it out!!! Comes on after some wrestling show ;) And don’t forget to watch Smackdown tomorrow!”
— Former WWE Diva Shelly Martinez celebrated her birthday Thursday. Photos of her night out are available on her Facebook page.
— While promoting Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and his upcoming match against John Cena at WrestleMania, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson swore during a live SportsCenter telecast on Thursday. While telling a joke, he said, “That’s bullshit.” He then said, “And this is live, by the way.” John Buccigross, who was conducting the interview, added, “Yeah, it’s real live.”
— Friday’s Dick Tracy comic strip features Jerry Lawler appearing as himself under the alias “Jerry King.” The comic strip is available here.
— Former WWE star Chuck Palumbo, who now performs for the band 3 Spoke Wheel, tweeted the following regarding an upcoming appearance: “Rhode Island wrestling fans Chuck Palumbo and 3 Spoke Wheel will be at The Rock Junction March 3rd 9pm.”
— Friday would have marked as Louie Spicolli’s 41st birthday. The veteran of ECW, WWE and WCW died on February 15, 1998 at the age of 27 after overdosing on somas and wine.
— California based independent wrestler Joey Ryan is competing in a contest put on by Major League Baseball in which the winner moves to New York City for the upcoming season. The contest, which is determined by votes, has been narrowed down to 50 finalists and concludes on February 22. To view his video entry, which was filmed at the Ring Ka King tapings in India, click here.
Hardcore wrestling legend Mick Foley recently spoke with the UK’s Daily Star to promote his upcoming comedy tour. Here are some highlights of what Foley said about:
Competing At The Royal Rumble: “I had to sit back afterwards and think about all the things that had transpired in the five or six minutes I was out there. I realised just how much fun it was at that point. I had some great reactions from the other wrestlers and my children.”
His Status with WWE: “I’m on a need to know basis going forward, I’d like to get involved in some way. I can’t wrestle very often any more. Apart from the run-in, the Rumble was the perfect way to play to my remaining strengths and not expose my many weaknesses!”
The Attitude Era vs. Today: “Are you saying thumbtacks aren’t fun?! Look, as a dad the thing I enjoy the most about the current product is not having to tell my kids to change the channel when sexual chocolate comes on.”
“The Attitude era was fun for different reasons, it was risque, but a lot was not appropriate for kids. The new style forces wrestlers to be creative and not rely on chair shots to get a pop.”
WWE wrestler Michael McGillicutty (Joe Hennig), son of legendary wrestler “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, Tweeted the following message on Friday, the 9 year anniversary of his father’s death:
“February 10th. A day I just can’t forget… My dad, my best friend… He past away 9 years ago… I miss u dad. I miss u so much! I love you,”
“Dear Dad. Hey man. I’m doin the bst I can. I doin everything you told me to do. I’m not supposed to cry but I can’t help it. I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines. My name is Joe Hennig. And I’m the past, present and future.”
“Today, I dont give a damn what u call me. Michael McGillicutty. I am Joe Hennig and I am apart of the greatest wrestling legacy of all time. I miss u Dad. And from here on out, I’m taking over! I love u daddy. RIP Curt Hennig. Let’s get this Goin. #Hennig.”
The third generation wrestler has long been considered a potential breakout star, despite his awful, goofy ring name. Just this week, Jim Ross blogged about being impressed with McGillicutty’s rccent match on Superstars. Ross wrote, “Keep Curt Hennig’s son in mind as I feel that he can be a viable asset to WWE but the last name has got to go, IMO.”
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are highlights of what JR said regarding the following questions from fans on Twitter:
“Is the Rock taking Cena and WM28 seriously?”
“Be assured of one thing about @TheRock…he wants…he needs to steal the show in Miami. There’s no way that Dwayne comes back to the bright lights and big stage to perform against @JohnCena, who is WWE’s biggest star, just for the hell of it. Wrestling is in Rock’s DNA and he has the motor and mind set to electrify…if you will. I’m intrigued by this match and it seems to be boiling down to a simple matter of respect and appears to be getting more personal by the Tweet.”
“Ironically, Rock and Cena were both products of organized athletic programs at the collegiate level plus they were both life long fans of sports entertainment which, in my opinion, are great places to start when one’s recruiting potential stars.”
“What is one thing that is missing w/ some of today’s young wrestlers?”
“They aren’t hungry enough or willing to challenge a top star for their spot on the roster. Too many talents are content to not make ‘waves’ and to live quietly and somewhat financially comfortable within their comfort zones. I can assure you that the comfort zone complex is the kiss of death in most organizations and businesses and is not exclusive to sports entertainment. “
The National Newspaper posted these video of John Cena, R-Truth and CM Punk at Thursday’s WWE press conference from Abu Dhabi, UAE, including footage of Cena giving Kane an Attitude Adjustment:.
WWE taped this week’s Smackdown on Tuesday night from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here are the results from Brooks Oglesby of WrestlingNewsWorld.com:
* Sheamus opens the show with a promo to remind the crowd that he is waiting until after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view to decide which title he will challenge for at WrestleMania XXVIII. He is then interrupted by Wade Barrett, who boasts about his future victory in the Elimination Chamber. Cody Rhodes interrupts Barrett shortly after and says the same thing, and Big Show comes out to do the same. This ended up turning into a four-man brawl with Sheamus and Big Show clearing the ring of the heels. A tag match between the teams of Big Show & Sheamus and Wade Barrett & Cody Rhodes is announced for tonight.
* The Great Khali b. Jinder Mahal with the Punjabi Plunge.
* Teddy Long is backstage discussing the ongoing suspension of Mark Henry before being interrupted by Daniel Bryan, who implores Long and the audience to become vegans.
* Beth Phoenix b. Alicia Fox with the Glam Slam. Phoenix continued to assault Fox after the match, but Tamina ran down to make the save for Fox. Tamina then stared Phoenix down.
* Natalya is backstage with Tyson Kidd. Kidd ends up farting and Hornswoggle blames it on Natalya.
* Big Show & Sheamus b. Wade Barrett & Cody Rhodes. Sheamus got the pin after hitting a Brogue Kick.
* Michael Cole interviews AJ in the ring about her condition following her injury caused by The Big Show. Cole says that everyone thinks that Daniel Bryan set her up to get injured, which causes Bryan to interrupt. Bryan yells at Cole, saying he’s had enough of those accusations and threatens to break Cole’s arms. He then goes on a tirade about being vegan, saying he’s better because he didn’t partake in the meat-eating while watching the Super Bowl last weekend. He says that he’s taking AJ home right now. Teddy Long interrupts and tells Bryan that if he leaves the arena now, he’ll automatically forfeit his World Heavyweight Championship.
* Ted DiBiase b. Hunico
* Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton is the main event, and The Big Show is on commentary. During the match, Bryan grabs his title and attempts to leave, but Big Show grabs him and throws him back into the ring. Orton then hits an RKO and pins Bryan, but the referee calls for the bell before the pin is counted. Since Big Show interfered, Daniel Bryan wins by disqualification. Orton gets mad at Show and they start arguing, which ends in Show knocking Orton out. Orton is helped to the back by officials as the show ends.
As reported earlier this week, WWE is expected to hold off until after Elimination Chamber before announcing the final members of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012.
WrestleZone.com broke the news last month that former WWE champion Yokozuna will be inducted this year.
Ron “DAMN!” Simmons, recognized as the first African American World champion (WCW), is also scheduled to join the Hall this year.
With those names set, here is the updated roster for this year’s class, including the inductors:
– The Four Horsemen (To be inducted by Triple H & Shawn Michaels)
– Edge (To be inducted by Christian)
– Mike Tyson (To be inducted by Steve Austin)
– Mil Mascaras (To be inducted by his nephew, Alberto Del Rio)
– Ron Simmons (To be inducted by JBL)
– Yokozuna (To be inducted by The Rock)
The 2012 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place the night before WrestleMania on Saturday, March 31st from Miami, FL.